The garment that we call the prayer shawl or the Tallit
is not necessarily the one spoken of in the book of NUMBERS.
It is an adaptation of what people used to wear.

Biblical Tallit (prayer shawl) is the four cornered
garment.

The Tallit (prayer shawl) as the visible symbol of
the Word of God is a demonstration of the positional and
personal power that is transferred when the mantle passes.
In all subsequent generations, the term passing the mantle
has come to mean the transfer of authority and anointing
from one leader to another, from one generation to another.

Colors on the Tallit (prayer shawl) were usually
crimson purple and royal blue as outlined in the Torah for
the High Priest.

Levitical
Tribe has the colors of the Blood Red, has white & black
stripes in it, and are also in the banners of the tribes.

Makes reference to the
garment Moses had being red, black, and white. Signifying he
was from the tribe of Levi.

Biblical Significance to the styling of the
Tallit (prayer shawl) { Tallit Katon} smaller like a
Tee-shirt

It is possible that the
seamless garment that the soldiers gambled for at the
foot of the cross was this type of garment.

Little Tent

The Tallit (prayer shawl) is known as a prayer shawl
or little tent because it can be worn over you like a little
tent.

Only men were obligated to wear them. Women could wear them
if they wanted to.

Under garment or robe was
called a HALUK it was lighter weight.

Outer garment
was the Tallit (prayer shawl) it was heavier weight.Psalms
61:4Let me dwell in your tent
forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!
Selah

The Tallit (prayer
shawl) as a ‘closet’

Greek word for closet is (tameion), which means “an
inner chamber, or a secret room.”
The closeting of oneself in the covering of the Tallit
(prayer shawl) was a symbolic separation from the world
around the Jewish man.

Matt 6:6
But when you
pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your
Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret
will reward you.

·
Jesus being a Jew would have observed the law
and worn a Tallit (prayer shawl).

Most Notable scripture of
Jesus garment.

Matt 9:20
And
behold, a woman, who had a flow of blood for twelve years,
came up behind Him and
touched the hem of His garment.

Q. Who was this woman that touched Jesus?

Q. What is the Biblical Reference to all the people
believing that if they touched Jesus garment, they would be
healed?

>Jesus had been on the Eastern side of Galilee which was
primarily a gentile area, now He is traveling near His home
on the western side of the Sea of Galilee. A story is
circulating clear across the lake about this man being Jesus
with healing power.

Matthews Gospel
chapter 14:34-36
..And when they had crossed over, they came
to land at Gennesaret.

v.35 And when the men of
that place recognized him, they sent around to all that
region and brought to him all who were sick

v. 36 and implored him
that they might only touch the fringe of his garment. And as
many as touched it were made well.

>The disciples and some others were on their way to the
great healing service, or some type of revival service, when
something unusual happened.

Matthew 9:20-22
..
And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of
blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the
fringe of his garment,

v.21 for she said to
herself, "If I only touch his garment, I will be made well."

v. 22 Jesus turned, and
seeing her he said, "Take heart,
daughter; your faith has made you well." And
instantly the woman was made well.

>More key pieces of the story

Luke 8:42-43..
for he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and
she was dying. As Jesus went, the people pressed around him.

v. 43 And there was a
woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and
though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could
not be healed by anyone.

>New fact, doctors could not heal her or do anything for
twelve years. I imagine her funds were a little bit low at
this point.

·Luke
says that the crowds were so massive they were almost
crushing Jesus, crowding in trying to get around Him.

· Matthew
basically says that a lady slipped up behind Him. She had to
do a little bit of pushing and shoving maybe to get through
the crowd.

>
Many times when we envision this woman with an issue we
somehow in our mind think that she was all decrepit and bent
down kind of walking through the crowd and the only reason
she touched the edge of His garment is because she had back
problems. Scripture didn’t say anything about that (back
problems) only that she had an issue of blood.

Q. So why is this woman moving through this crowd, this sea
of men (come to Sunday Revival meeting)

Q. Why does she come there and push through them, why
doesn’t she call His name out now?

Q. What was she saying within herself?

LUKE 8:44-46
She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his
garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased.

v. 45 And Jesus said,
"Who was it that touched me?"
When all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the crowds surround
you and are pressing in on you!"

v. 46 But Jesus said,
"Someone touched me, for I perceive
that power has gone out from me."

>Every one is there and they are all pressing in (all the
big time evangelist) and when He says “who touched me?”
everyone is like “not me!” “It must have been someone else.”

But Jesus says,
no this was a different type of touch. Someone touched the
Power in Me.

And the Power in Me was
released.

>>I am not talking about those that are trying to meet the
new Rabbi. Not those that are just here for the fish and
bread, not those that are just here to see what’s going on,
what’s all the excitement.

“Someone in this crowd
touched me and Power has flown out of me.” Jesus says to
Peter

“That is [who] I want to
know.”

Luke 8:47 continues the story…

And when the woman saw
that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling
down before him declared in the presence of all the people
why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately
healed.

>>Then the woman realized she could not go un-noticed.
Picture this she is touching the hem of His garment which we
need to see what that really is (bending down) she is down
like this to touch that garment, and she’s probably lower
than everyone else, and Peter is going “what’s up Jesus,
what do you mean someone touched you?” “Can’t you see
everybody around?”

Then she kind of looks up
and realizes there’s no way out. Even though she said within
[herself]

Even though she pressed
in the crowd of unruly men that were all excited to be with
Jesus, she knows she has been caught.

>>Most likely she did not fear Jesus reaction but the crowd.
You see if she had been bleeding for twelve years the Hebrew
scripture says she is unclean, in fact she is supposed to
announce to you and I “hey, I am unclean” Keep your distance
from me, because if you touch me, if you touch my clothes,
if you even sit where I have been sitting, you are rendered
unclean. So for a certain period of time you will not be
able to participate.

{WOW, one touch of
Jesus has made her clean and acceptable, Also: take into
account that Jesus had not died upon the Cross yet and that
His redemptive Blood had not yet been shed. So when the
woman touched Him, the transfer happened through her faith.
He stopped what He was doing to respond to that act of
faith. Remember Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing.
How wonderful is His Mercy.}

>>Touching this woman would render anyone unclean. You
cannot go into the Temple. It won’t matter if you’re a
priest, it won’t matter if you’re the High Priest, and it
won’t matter if you’re the common person. If you touch what
I got, you’re unclean. It will break your connection with
God.

So this woman has lived
with a social stigma (what courage it took to go into that
crowd, the faith it took!)

She is breaking some
social and religious taboos. Basically she has rendered a
bunch in the crowd, unclean. And you know how people get
when they can’t go to Sunday meeting. This would cause
anger.
She would have caught a lot of unkind words.

So she knows she’s
caught, it’s one of those moments when everybody’s quiet.

Luke 8:47
And when
the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling,
and falling down before him declared in the presence of all
the people why she had touched him, and how she had been
immediately healed.

·In the
presents of all the people.

Matt 9:22
Jesus turned, and seeing her he said,
"Take heart, daughter; your faith
has made you well." And instantly the woman was made
well.

The foundation for this particular garment

NUMBERS 15:
37-41
The LORD said to Moses,

v. 38
“Speak
to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on
the corners of their garments throughout their generations,
and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner.

v. 39 And it shall be a
tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments
of the LORD, to do them, not to follow after your own heart
and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after.

v. 40 so you shall
remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your
God.

v. 41 I am the LORD your
God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your
God: I am the LORD your God."

·You will
find out that the Hebrews were commanded to make this
Biblical garment with four corners, to attach fringe. Or
Tzizit
The long fringe knotted in a particular way. The Biblical
version says there needs to be at least one blue cord. Or
one blue string inside of it and that identifies it.
Remember the Jews were commanded to eat certain things and
not eat certain things. To dress certain ways and to not
dress other ways.

·All of
this was just a visual reminder of setting them apart,
sanctifying them.

oA visual
announcement or reminder to those around them that these are
particular people, these are peculiar people.

·These
are people that God is using for a special mission.

·Because
they live in a world where there are all kinds of ways to
dress.

o All
kinds of ways to eat.

oAll
kinds of ways to worship.

oAll
kinds of ways to speak.

oGod
Himself carved them out from all the people [making them
distinctive]

Sometimes when we read
the OT, we read the 613 laws; Many times Christians say
well, we’re under grace now, not under law. That is true,
however if you would read most of the 613 Biblical
commandments in the Torah (first five books of the Bible)
you will find that you (Christians) keep them without
thinking about it, because it’s more than just not stealing.
It talks about what if one of my animals injures someone
else’s animals. It talks about how we work out this faith
when this happens.

The
sacrificial system, even for Jews today they can’t perform
those because there is no Temple. Some are trying to build a
third Temple, but right now there’s not a third Temple. So
even those laws are not kept (per say)

However this garment [Tallit] (prayer shawl)
was commanded of God.

The Tassels or Tzizizt as they are called in Hebrew
look like this:

Some New Testament translations put this Hebrew word into
Greek, and then into English it comes out all different.

It comes out as ‘hem of
His garment’ the hem for us is like what is at the bottom of
our pants, or at the edge of our sleeve. Folded over and
sewn to avoid fraying.

That is not what’s talked about in scripture, what was
talked about was that the woman touched His (Jesus)
tzizit, the fringe.

Q. Now why did she do that? Why did she touch the fringe?

The history of the garment

There are three important things to remember about these
tassels in particular.

·They are
a mixture of Linen & Wool (which testified that the people
had some connection to the priesthood, because of the wool)

Realize you may not be
called to be the “Pastor”, you may not be called to be the
“evangelist” or the “prophet” or the “teacher” but you have
a connection to the ministry because everyone is called to
share the Good News ( of Jesus Christ)

Some of our roles
are different, but those in the five-fold are here to equip
the others to do the Work of the Lord.
Different job specifications, but all of us have a
connection to the ministry. This means full participation,
not just watching from the side lines.

·Mixture
of Linen & Wool (wool thread in the tassel, wool comes from
a sheep or a lamb which testified their connection to the
sacrificial system, the sacrificial lamb) wool in the tassel
was a reminder of the sacrifice and the atonement and the
substitution of an animal for their sin.

·The Blue
thread reminded them of their connection to Royalty. ( a
snail from the Mediterranean is harvested to make this
particular blue dye)

Not everyone wore the
blue, only those most wealthy of the pagan world would have
had this Royal blue color.

Blue is also the color of
our sky, making a connection or physical reminder for the
ancient people of the residence of God, in the Heavenlies.
The blue tassel reminds them of their Royal connection and
the Biblical commandment to the Torah.

The color is not important, just the purpose. The other
colors are for our preference.

Even the prayer before you put on your prayer shawl doesn’t
have to be present.

The whole purpose of the Tallit (prayer shawl) is to
hold the fringe on the corners as a reminder to the people
about God. That they have been set aside, sanctified and
made Holy unto God.

What is the significance of the Four Tassels

Q. What is the reason for the four cornered garment, why are
there four and not three?

In Biblical times the
four corners and the tassels represented certain things.

There is no particular
order to the top corner or the bottom left corner, or any of
that. The corners, remember them.

#1 The Tallit (prayer shawl) had a family connection.
It represented their Identity. Even in certain families that
tie these they have their own way. Like a signature card.
When you would see a particular fringe could tell who tied
that. What family it came from.

{Most people could
remember Jim as the Shofar man. His identity is the Shofar
man.}
{Personal signatures can be on things like this, like “mom’s
apple pie”}

#2 Status within the tribe or the community was represented
in the tying of the tassels. This was becoming a problem in
Jesus time.

Luke 20:45-47 Jesus made a comment as they were watching
people enter the house of Prayer and He said “ Oh, the
Pharisees love to stand with their long flowing robes, so
everybody will see them praying and worshipping God” So they
forgot the purpose of this. The Pharisees would make their
tzizit longer and add more blue in it, because then you know
I’m wealthy.

>Because you poor folks can’t afford this much blue. Look at
me. Even though the more ostentatious Pharisees made show of
their alms giving their public prayers, the greater
percentage of the Pharisees were sincere in their separation
and secreting themselves in prayer so that with kavanah
(proper attitude and concentration) they approached God and
entered into a knowing relationship with Him.

·The
higher the status and the higher your social structure of
the day the longer and more elaborate your tassels would be.
Because of this costly blue, it signified a status.

There is another history that goes along with it. Remember
when David was being chased by Saul, and he didn’t have as
many men as Saul but Saul was determined that he was going
to kill him. Basically Saul was over on this side of the
hill and there was a ravine and he was with his men and
there was a cave and Saul went into the cave into the inter
recesses of the cave to sleep and was guarded by all his men
and everything and we know David is in there. During the
night David sneaks over the ravine and instead of killing
Saul he cuts the edge of his garment, and he took the
tzizit, because everyone would know what King Saul’s would
look like. So the next day when David is on the other side
of the hill, the mountain with the ravine and calls out to
Saul. Saul is telling David how much he is going to kill
him, and David basically says “Saul, look at your garment- I
could have killed you, but I tried to respect your
authority so look at this tassel I have it is a symbol of
your authority and one of yours is missing”

·So it is
a symbol of AUTHORITY.

That it
represented authority and many people missed this piece.
When a prophet had a Word to give to the king, he would
inscribe that prophesy or press in his seal into the tzizit
in a particular pattern, as if to say ‘this is official’
{this would be similar to the wax seal used on fine
stationary. We even will melt the wax on the back of that
envelope and we’ll press our monogram into that wax.
This actually came from the practice started with these
tassels.

·Last
thing represented in the tassels is the Priestly purity or
power,
the reminder of personal Holiness.

1 is numeric equivalent of that is Echad
meaning the Lord YHWH, He is one God.

4 windings is numeric equivalent of that
which was taken out of the covenant name.
Now there is a series of 4 windings.

5 knots are symbolic to the first five books
of Moses; the Torah.
Genesis/Exodus/Leviticus/Numbers/Deuteronomy

(1st-7)

(2nd-8)

(3rd-11)

(4th -13)
These all add up to 39
which is the number of stripes Jesus took {Isaiah 53:5}
By His stripes we are healed…

Malachi 4:2-3 But
for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall
rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping
like calves from the stall.

v. 3 And you shall tread
down the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of
your feet, on the day when I act, says the LORD of hosts.

Q. So what happened to this woman with an issue of Blood?

Q. Why did he call her a daughter?

Q. And why did she touch His fringe?

It is indicated that
during Jesus time, during the first century there was a
scripture in Zechariah that talks about there is healing in
His wings. Many believe that the fringe on the bottom of the
prayer shawl is what is being referred to as the “wings” and
that there would be healing in His wings.

Q. why is that important in connection with Jesus?

The reason why it is
important with Jesus is because of all the people that day,
this woman actually knew who He was! Because the belief
was, “you know how there will be a true Messiah? There will
be Healing in His wings”

Q. What was it Jesus said in the midst of everybody pressing
into Him?

“Who touched Me?” “Power
has gone out of Me”
She touched one of the corners, one of the hems, one of the
fringe, One of the Tzizit.

·Also,
she touched His Authority.

·Also she
connected with His status.

·Also she
connected with His Purity.

·Also she
knew His TRUE Identity.

·Because the
“True Messiah will have Healing in His wings”

>>Because of that male dominated society, and because she
was unclean, because she was an outcast. Because she had
spent her whole living trying to get healed in scriptures
Luke tells us that no doctor could do anything. This is a
woman that for twelve years carried a burden on her own
shoulder, we don’t even hear about her family. If you can’t
stop bleeding guess what, your husband is going to get rid
of you, because you’re going to render him unclean. The
neighbors are going to talk -why are you still with that
woman, don’t you know that she’s just filthy and unclean?
We don’t want her in our neighborhood (REJECTION) and ladies
she can not come to the well, to get the water when you
come.
People are talking about her, when she walks down the
street, and most of the time she has her head down. Because
she’s embarrassed to make eye contact with people, they’re
always saying something about her. Behind her back and to
her face. Pointing at her, just like today when we see
somebody with a disability.
She didn’t even need to think about going near the Temple
because she was not welcome in a place of worship. You are
not welcome at the place of prayer, because you have
something wrong with you.
Somehow in her heart she knew who HE really was. Everyone
else was there for the fish & bread.
Everyone else may have been there for the mob psychology of
the crowd. She wasn’t interested in these things; she said
in her heart “if I could only touch His garment” His tzizit.
I would be healed. Scripture says that as soon as she did
that, she was healed instantly. And the blood stopped
flowing.

>She then was caught and everyone was looking at her, so she
shared with them why she did what she did. The Bible
doesn’t let us know exactly what she says, but Jesus lets us
know when He turns to her and says “Daughter, your faith has
made you whole”
This wasn’t a relative of Jesus
Q. why did He say that?

>Even today, but
especially in Biblical times only if you were my wife or my
daughter you could touch my ‘Tallit (prayer shawl)’ but if
you weren’t my family, my daughter or my wife you could not
touch. It was not allowed.
So not only is this woman unclean, she is touching a man she
is not related to. This woman just doesn’t understand the
rules of the day.

The grace & mercy of
Jesus let’s everyone else know when this woman touched Me,
Power flew out of Me because this woman knows Who I AM.

>You need to remember His
identity. And you need to touch a hold of His Power. You
need to touch hold of His Purity. You need to touch hold of
His identity.
Because He will give you the proper status, what it is to
be a child of the King. The Lord of Lords. So you chose
which identity you want.
Do you want the identity that the world gives you or do you
want the identity that He sends, that you are a peculiar
person, that you are fearfully and wonderfully made, that
you are an overcomer, that you are not defeated?

>It’s all up to you.
Sometimes we have to touch who He really is. Regardless of
what the crowd says to us.

There is a Hebrew word Kanaph which means wings
[Kanaph which can also mean corner. ]

Jews have recognized the fact that God’s law symbolized in
the tzizit of their prayer shawls is their guardian. Just as
the Tallit (prayer shawl) surrounds the praying Jew, so God
surrounds His people. “We can intend that when putting on
the Tallit (prayer shawl) that it separate us and shield us
from outside distractions and from foreign thoughts. The
large prayer Tallit (prayer shawl) surrounds one and
symbolizes protection.”

Exodus 19:4You yourselves have seen
what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles'
wings and brought you to myself.

When a Jewish man wraps himself in his Tallit (prayer
shawl), he symbolically places himself under God’s
sheltering love. Indeed, when he dons the Tallit (prayer
shawl), he recites Psalms 36:7, 9. This material action
gives new and more meaning to Psalms 57:1’s declaration: “In
the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge.”

The Ark of the Covenant that was the focal point of the
“Most Holy Place” in both the tabernacle in the wilderness
and the Temple in Jerusalem demonstrates the fact that even
God’s throne itself is overshadowed by the wings of divine
protection. The mercy seat on the top of the Ark of the
Covenant was the site of the localized material
manifestation of the Spirit of God, the Shekhinah.
Covering the four corners of the mercy seat were the wings
of two cherubim. What powerful imagery: God’s provision of
mercy and loving kindness for His people is always
overshadowed and protected by the wings of the “living
creatures” that both guard His throne and extend perpetual,
unceasing worship that extols His Holiness: “Kadosh,
Kadosh, Kadosh” (HOLY, HOLY,HOLY)

The testimony to God’s ancient people (and to His people of
all ages) is that His mercies are unending, extending to the
age of ages. Those in the Messiah are “seated with Christ in
Heavenly places, “enfolded in the wings of His everlasting
mercies.

Quoting from Psalms 36:7 this prayer suggests
the full significance of the Tallit (prayer shawl):
“How precious is thy loving-kindness, O
God! And under the shadow of thy wings so the children of
men take shelter…”

As you cover yourself with the Tallit (prayer shawl), you
have a physical symbolic awareness of the fact that you are
secure in the shadow of God’s presence. Being “under the
wings” of the Almighty.

“When you put on a Tallit (prayer shawl) you should think
that the Light of the Infinite One is hidden within this
Tallit (prayer shawl) that you wrap yourself in…and that
when the wings of the Tallit (prayer shawl) cover you, you
are covered in the wings of the Light of the Infinite One.”

Thank You Heavenly Father
for covering us in your tender mercies and everlasting
loving kindness~ Quicken my heart now to know my identity in
You, my new status and right standing in Your Righteousness.
Begin to heal me Lord, physically, emotionally and
Spiritually. Create in me a new heart and renew in me a
right Spirit. I thank you for understanding of this healing
You brought forth for the woman with the issue. Touch me
Lord and I too shall be made whole.